So Close But So Far
by Annie Targaryen
Summary: There's another party in Mystic Falls. Elena goes with Stefan but ends up dancing with Damon. What will happen now? DELENA.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! So..this is the first fanfiction I've ever written. It's probably not that good (but I hope you'll still read it =3) but I decided to post it anyway. Just so you know this story takes place during about the middle of season 2 but is different from the show :3 **

Today was the day. There was yet another party in Mystic Falls. Elena hadn't wanted to go but Bonnie and Caroline had convinced her. She had to admit that she could use some fun time. The sacrifice was soon and she wanted to enjoy her life before she had to die. _No, I won't think about that. Today is about having fun. _She takes a deep breath and looks in the mirror. She has to admit, she looks good. Jenna had done her hair and makeup and the dress she had picked out was perfect for Elena. It was a dark purple and seemed to be made for her. Elena smiles a little as she thinks about how the evening's going to be. She will spend time with Caroline and Bonnie, dance with Stefan, and get away from all of the stress that had been taking over her life lately. _Yes, that sounds good. _She thinks with amusement. She picks up her purse and looks in the mirror one more time before beginning to go down the stairs. Jenna is waiting at the bottom with a wide smile. "Hey. You look great," Elena's aunt says in an excited voice. "Thanks. So do you." Elena smiles. And it was true. Jenna did look great. She was wearing a bright gold dress and her hair was up in a bun. Before Jenna can reply, the doorbell rings. She winks at Elena and says "That must be Stefan. I'll get it." Before Elena can protest, Jenna's running to the door. She opens it and smiles at the person who's standing behind it. "Hello Stefan. Come on in. Elena's all ready." Elena takes a deep breath as Stefan walks in the door. When she sees him, Elena's smile becomes wider. He looks great. He always does, but especially now. He's wearing a suit and his hair just looks perfect. He sees Elena and his eyes widen. Jenna sees his expression and looks a little amused, but also happy. " I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone," she says in a teasing voice before leaving the room. Elena and Stefan just stare at each other, lost in their own little world. They just can't seem to find words to describe each other. Finally, after a few moments, Stefan smiles widely and says "You look beautiful, Elena." Elena looks happy and says "Thank you. You look great too. Are you ready to go?" Stefan nods and says "You're welcome. And thank you. I'm ready when you are." Elena nods too and looks around the room. "Jenna seems to have disappeared. I'll just find her and then we can leave." "Ok,"Stefan says in a calm voice. "What about Jeremy?" Elena smiles as she says "He already left with Bonnie. We'll see him over at the Lockwood's." Stefan nods and says "Oh, ok." There is a moment of silence before Elena breaks it by saying "I'll just…um…go find Jenna." "That's a good idea," Stefan says with a smile. Elena begins to leave the room before hearing Stefan's voice calling her back. "Elena." She turns around and looks at him. "Yes, Stefan?" He sighs a little. _She's just so beautiful. _"Don't take too long." Elena's face lights up before she says "I won't" and walks out of the room.

"Jenna!" Elena calls. "Jenna, where are you?" She says as she walks around the house, moving toward the kitchen. She frowns when she doesn't see her aunt. Suddenly she hears a voice behind her. "Boo," the voice says. Elena jumps a little before turning around and seeing her aunt. She sighs in relief. "Jenna. You scared me." Jenna smiles mischievously as she says "Sorry. Are you ready to go?" Elena nods. "Yes, I'm ready and so is Stefan. But don't we have to wait for Alaric?" Jenna shakes her head. "No. He said he was going with Damon. We'll see him there." "Oh." Elena frowns a little at this information. She knew that Damon and Alaric were good friends but still couldn't think of a reason why Alaric would miss the chance to go to the party with her aunt because of Damon. Unless something was going on. _Oh no. Not tonight. _Elena tries to smile as she looks at her aunt curiously. "Why is he going with Damon?" Jenna shrugs. "He just told me that Damon really needs a friend right now. Probably something to do with you." She says in a teasing voice. "With….me?" Elena shakes her head. "No. I….I don't know what you mean." Jenna sighs a little and rolls her eyes. "Elena. Come on, I thought you were smarter than that." Elena shakes her head, not sure what to say. She knows what her aunt means but can't admit it. Of course, she'd heard it before from many people including her biological mother but somehow hearing it from Jenna made her want to deny it even more. Besides, it wasn't true and even if it was it didn't matter. She was with Stefan. She loved Stefan and she always would. As Elena is thinking these things, Jenna is watching her with a curious look in her eyes. She knew that her adopted niece was a smart person and was sure that she couldn't be in complete denial about Damon's feelings for her. She also knew that Elena really loves Stefan. But a part of her still wants to tell Elena what Alaric had told her. _No, I can't. It's not really my secret to tell. But she deserves to know. But we don't have time now. And Stefan's in the other room. What if he hears us somehow? And we can't be late for the party. I'll just tell her later. _Jenna walks across the room to pick up her purse before turning to her niece with a smile. "Let's talk about all this later," she says with a wink. "Right now we need to get going before Mrs. Lockwood kills us for being late." Elena seems to come out of her thoughts as she nods. "Yes. Let's go." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Jenna looks at her with a concerned expression. "Are you ok?" Elena nods and smiles again. This time it looks genuine. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's go." She says again. Jenna shrugs and says "Ok" as she walks out of the kitchen into the living room. She sees Stefan sitting on the couch and smiles at him. "Ready to go?" He stands up and nods. "Yes, I'm ready." Jenna's eyes sparkle with amusement as she studies him. Her niece had good taste. Although Stefan didn't have the extreme hotness factor that his brother had, he was still very handsome. He could definitely pull off a suit very well. And he was such a sweet guy. And Jenna knew how hard those were to find. She smiles as she puts her inner monologue to an end and says to Stefan. "Great. Let's go." She walks toward the door, looking behind to make sure that Elena and Stefan are following. She grins when she sees that they're walking behind her, holding hands. She opens the door and gestures for them to go out before her. They walk toward the car, still joined together. Jenna sighs in happiness as she closes the door and locks it. She clicks a button on her key to open the car and gets into the driver's seat. Elena and Stefan get into the back. They have to break apart to put on their seatbelts. Jenna buckles herself in and adjusts her mirrors before pulling out of the driveway.

The drive goes fast and before they know it, they're pulling up to the Lockwood's mansion. They park the car and lock it, getting out quickly and practically running towards the door. They all walk in together, Elena and Stefan holding hands again and Jenna walking next to them. They meet Mrs. Lockwood at the door and all smile at her. Jenna is the first to speak. "Hello Carol." Mrs Lockwood smiles back at Jenna. "Hello Jenna. So glad to see you." She turns her attention to the younger members of the group. "Elena. Stefan. So glad you could make it." Elena smiles as she says "We're glad we could make it too." Stefan nods to agree with Elena. "Yes, we are. And you look great Mrs. Lockwood. And so does your house." He says with an appreciative look around at the decorations. Mrs. Lockwood blushes and says "Thank you, Stefan. You're always so polite. If only your brother could be like you. He didn't seem to like the decorations. At least not from what he said to his friend the history teacher before they saw me." Stefan frowns a little. "Damon's here?" He says in a surprised voice. Mrs. Lockwood nods. "Yes. He got here about a half hour ago." Jenna looks at Stefan with a surprised expression. "You didn't know he was coming?" Stefan looks at Jenna when she speaks and shakes his head. "He told me he wasn't." Jenna's mouth opens a little in surprise and then she nods. _I wonder why Damon wouldn't tell his brother. I know they're not too fond of each other but I thought they were close enough to tell each other which parties they would be going to. _She smiles kindly at Stefan and pats his arm comfortingly. "I guess he changed his mind and forgot to tell you." Stefan shrugs. "Maybe he did." But he doesn't sound convinced. Mrs. Lockwood is just standing there, looking like she doesn't know what to do. So is Elena. Jenna is the only one who isn't freaking out. She looks around a little and notices that there's another wave of partygoers coming in. She smiles at Mrs. Lockwood and says "Well, it was very nice talking to you but we have to go." She points toward the people moving in their direction. "We don't want to get trampled." "Oh, yes. Of course. I hope you enjoy the party." "I'm sure we will," Jenna says in a friendly voice before she walks away. She looks around to tell Elena something but sees that her niece and her boyfriend are no longer following her. They're still standing by Mrs. Lockwood, looking into each other's eyes and frowning. Jenna sighs and goes back over to them. "Let's go," she says in a firm voice. Elena and Stefan don't seem to notice her. _Ok, something must be wrong here. Stefan's always polite and Elena doesn't usually ignore people either. _She grabs onto Elena's hand on one side and Stefan's on the other and practically drags them away from Mrs. Lockwood. Once they're a safe distance away, she lets go and looks at them. "I'm going to go find Alaric. And you two," she points at Elena and then Stefan. "You two are going to have fun. And that's an order." She says as she waves a finger at them. Elena smiles and laughs a little at her aunt's order. She seems to have recovered from whatever was making her so sullen before. "Yes, Aunt Jenna. We will." Stefan nods and smiles at Jenna before saying. "Yes. We'll have a great time." Jenna nods and smiles at Stefan and Elena. "Good," she says in a happy tone before heading toward the bar.

And they do have fun. They dance and talk and laugh. Around 9:00-two hours after they had gotten there- Stefan looks at Elena and says. "I need to get some air. Would you mind if I went outside for a while?" Elena shakes her head and says "Of course not. I'll come with you." A strange expression appears on Stefan's face. "No. No. I…..I need to think for a while. Alone." His expression is back to normal as he smiles at his girlfriend. "I won't take long." Elena frowns. She doesn't understand any of this but she trusts Stefan. She knows he wouldn't cheat on her or anything. So finally, she nods. "Ok. I'll just wait here." "Ok." Stefan says before kissing her forehead and walking towards the door. Elena sits down at one of the tables that were set up around the dancefloor. She looks around at the decorations, trying to give herself something to do. Stefan had been right. They were beautiful. Mrs. Lockwood had really outdone herself. After a few moments of looking around,though, Elena gets bored. She thinks about going to find Bonnie and Caroline but then decides against it. She doesn't want to disturb them. And they would probably ask where Stefan was. Elena didn't want to have to explain. Especially when she didn't understand herself. Stefan's face had looked so strange a second before he left. Almost as if he was keeping something from her. _No, Stefan wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. _But the thought still sticks in her brain. If Stefan hadn't had something to hide, why would he have looked like that? Why would he go out alone when tonight was supposed to be about the two of them and having fun? What did he have to think about that he couldn't share with her? Elena sighs and begins to look around again, hoping to spot Stefan coming in the door. But he's nowhere to be found. She thinks about going to look for him but can't make herself move. She doesn't want to know what's going on. Not yet. She's sure that Stefan would tell her if something was. _Yes, he would. He would tell me. _Elena realizes suddenly as a smile appears on her face. _It's probably nothing. Or it's just what he said. He just needs some time alone to think. _Elena shakes her head at her own foolishness. _All the crazy things in my life must be finally messing with my head. I know Stefan would never lie to me. Everything's fine. Everything's fine. _She takes a deep breath and feels the tension go away from her. She sits in her chair, excitedly awaiting Stefan's return.

Damon was standing against the wall across from where Elena is sitting, drinking a glass of some type of alcohol. He had noticed his brother leaving and had almost wanted to follow him just so he could ask him what was wrong with him. He couldn't believe he had left Elena even for a minute. This was Mystic Falls. Anything could happen. Some crazy vampire could crash the party. Klaus could come –they still had no idea what he even looked like-and just take Elena. Or something completely normal but still bad could happen to her. He sighs as he continues to watch her. She looks beautiful as always. He didn't understand how his brother could leave her. He knows that he wouldn't have. _But I don't matter, _he thinks sadly. Again, his brother got the girl. Again, he was second best. But this time it was different. This time the girl was Elena, not Katherine. She was smart and good and…Stefan's. _How does my brother do it? _Damon wonders with a small smirk on his face. Stefan always managed to get beautiful women to fall for him without even trying. First Katherine, now Elena. But Damon didn't care about Katherine anymore. He only cares about Elena. He sees a sad expression on her face and frowns. _What's wrong? Is something going on that I don't know about? _He tenses as he continues to watch Elena's expression. She seems to be trying to figure out something. Damon smiles without even thinking. Elena always managed to bring a smile to his face. And she did look adorable when she was confused. Damon notices as her expression turn to happiness. _Looks like she's figured it out, _he thinks with some amusement. His own smile grows wider. He was always glad to see Elena happy. But now he's curious. He wants to find out what it is that Elena was so deep in thought about. He looks toward the door, expecting to see his brother returning, but the doorway is empty. He looks back to Elena, seeming to hesitate. Finally, after a few moments of indecision, he walks toward Elena.

It had taken Damon a while to navigate through the dancing crowd. No one had seemed to want to move and he had almost gotten annoyed enough to use compulsion on them to get them to move out of his way. He walks quickly toward the table that Elena was sitting at. He took a deep breath before moving to stand right in front of her. He places his signature smirk on his face before saying, in an amused tone : "Elena Gilbert sitting alone. Someone should alert the media." She looks up in surprise. Then she smiles a little. _She's so beautiful…_Damon thinks in wonder. His thoughts,however, are not shown on his face. "Damon. Mrs. Lockwood told us you were here." Elena says, sounding amused too. "Why didn't you tell Stefan you were coming?" Her voice sounded annoyed now as she asked Damon why he hadn't told his brother. Damon sighs a little. _Of course. She wants to know why I didn't tell Stefan. _Damon rolls his eyes before replying. "I don't have to tell my brother everything, Elena. Besides, it was a last minute decision. I only came because of Alaric. He insisted that I come and I just couldn't say no to him." This was a slight lie. Alaric had insisted that he come but that wasn't why Damon had decided to. The truth was that he had wanted to see Elena dressed up again. And to talk to her aunt and make sure she didn't tell Elena what he had told Alaric and Alaric had told Jenna. Elena couldn't know. That would defeat the purpose of him making her forget this….information. He's looking uncharacteristically nervous as he waits for Elena to reply to what he said. He really needs her to believe him. Elena nods before saying. "Oh. Ok. Then why aren't you with Alaric now?" She raises her eyebrows in a way that reminds Damon a little of Katherine. But he knows, of course, that Elena is nothing like Katherine. He shrugs and says " I thought I'd leave him and Jenna alone. They didn't seem to want me bothering them." She laughs a little. "That was very nice of you." Damon shrugs again. "Well, you know me, Elena. I'm Mr. Nice Guy. Or….is that my brother?" Damon puts a pretend thoughtful expression on his face before becoming serious again. "Speaking of my brother, where is he?" He looks at Elena curiously, trying to figure out what she's thinking. Elena shrugs a little. "Stefan went outside. He wanted to get some air." Damon looks toward the door and smiles when he doesn't see his brother coming in. Then he looks back at Elena with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well…he shouldn't have left you alone. Someone might take advantage of the opportunity." He wiggles his eyebrows a little and does that "eye thing" that he knows annoys Elena. "Someone like you?" Elena says in a way that –if he didn't know any better- sounds kind of….flirty. Damon looks surprised. Why would Elena talk to him like that? _It must just be my imagination, _he thinks a little regretfully. He quickly puts the smirk back on his face as he says "Well…..I could….." he says with a shrug.

"Someone like you?" I found myself saying in the voice that I usually reserved for Stefan. Why was I doing this? Why was I….flirting with Damon? Damon, of all people. My boyfriend's brother. I look up to watch his reaction and see that he seems surprised. _Of course he's surprised. I never talk to him like that. In fact I don't know why I'm talking like that now. _But secretly, I do know. It's because he came over to talk to me when I was all alone. It's because he asked where Stefan was even though he probably doesn't want to know. It's because he did that eye thing that always drives me crazy. It's because there's a…connection between us that I don't even understand. I continue watching his face as his surprised expression is replaced by his signature smirk. " Well….I could…" he says with a shrug. I'm curious now. His open-ended statement made me wonder what he was thinking. I raise my eyebrows and say " You could…..what?" He walks closer to me and I breathe deeply, trying not to show how I'm affected by his closeness. After a few moments of –for me at least- awkward silence, he speaks again. "I could…ask you to dance." He gestures towards the dance floor. "Are you?" I say, hoping he doesn't notice how breathless my voice is. He sits down in the chair next to me and pulls it closer so that our legs are almost touching. He reaches his hand out to me and says "May I have this dance, Miss Gilbert?" I nod and take his hand and say, in an amused and –I have to admit- flirty voice. "Yes, you may, Mr. Salvatore." He looks surprised again but quickly recovers as he stands up. He leads me to the dancefloor just as the DJ is announcing "Alright, we're going to slow it down for all the couples out there." Most people are leaving the dancefloor until there are only Damon and I and a few couples still standing there. I gulp a little and begin to walk away but then Damon grabs my hand and stops me. "You're not getting away that easy, Elena. You already agreed to dance with me. Besides, it's not like it means anything. Right?" he says in his challenging voice. I look up at him, trying not to get lost in his eyes. I nod. "Yes. It's just a dance." He smirks and says "Exactly." He puts one hand on my waist and holds the other up so I can grab it. I laugh a little. "No one dances like that anymore,Damon." He shrugs. " I don't care. I like dancing this way. Unless you're afraid." He says the last sentence in that challenging voice and his eyes sparkle. I laugh again and shake my head. "Not at all." I say as I grab his hand and wait for the music to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So..thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and added it to their favorites or story alerts. I would like more reviews,though. I want to know exactly what YOU think about the story. Do you like it? Not like it? Are all the changes of perspective confusing? Are any of the characters out of character? Are any of them too non-likeable? Or too likeable? And…I hope you all don't mind that I added a character that wasn't in the show. I mean, Stefan had to have some reason to go outside. And I personally kind of like that character I made up. I hope you do too. =3 Please review, review, review. **

The music began to play. It was a very slow, romantic song. All of the couples were swaying back and forth together to the music but Damon and Elena were doing more. They were waltzing elegantly, looking like they were perfect for each other. When the song gets to the chorus, Elena smiles widely and looks a little excited. "I love this song. It's from one of my favorite movies," she says in an enthusiastic voice. Damon raises his eyebrows a little at her excitement. "What movie?" he asks curiously. "Enchanted," Elena replies. When Damon looks confused, Elena explains, saying "You know. It's the movie where the princess from a fairytale world ends up in modern day New York City and meets a guy who she ends up staying with. Then her prince from the fairytale ends up there too. There's a ball and everyone goes to it-the princess, the prince, the guy, and his fiancé. The princess ends up dancing with that guy to this song. Everything's going great until the prince's wicked stepmother gives the princess a poisoned apple. The only way for the princess to recover is for her to get kissed by her true love. The prince kisses her, but she doesn't get better. Then the guy kisses her and she wakes up. In the end, everyone lives happily ever after." Elena looks at Damon, blushing a little. She's sure that she's boring him. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Damon is looking at her like she just told the most interesting story in the world. He's also smiling in a sad way. Because of this, Elena frowns and looks at Damon with a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?" Damon shakes his head a little. "Nothing, Elena. Nothing at all." But the sad expression won't leave his face. Elena doesn't believe it but she knows that Damon won't tell her unless he wants to. She nods a little and they continue dancing in silence. As they're dancing, they're looking at each other. In fact, they can't stop looking at each other. Elena begins to smile and so does Damon. _Dancing with Damon is a lot of fun, actually. And he's not too bad to look at either. And his eyes… Stop Elena, stop. I love Stefan, not Damon. Stefan. Not Damon. _But a small annoying voice nags at Elena's head. It says : If you love Stefan, then why did you agree to dance with Damon? Why were you flirting with him before? Why do you not want this dance to end? While Elena tries to ignore that voice, Damon is just staring at her in wonder. _She's so beautiful. I can't believe she's actually dancing with me. And she looks like she's enjoying it too. _As the music builds to a crescendo, Damon spins Elena around and then brings her closer to him again and they continue waltzing, still gazing into each other's eyes. The music ends and most of the couples get off the dance floor. But Damon and Elena seem to be paralyzed. Neither of them can seem to move or say anything. They just continue standing in the middle of the dance floor, looking into each other's eyes.

Stefan waited patiently in the forest near the edge of the Lockwood estate. He had hoped that the person he was meeting would have been here by now. He didn't want to leave Elena alone too long and was sure that it was only a matter of time before she came out to find him. He sighs a little as he tries to think of what he would say to her if she asked him what he was doing out here. He couldn't explain, of course. She wouldn't understand. Damon might have understood but Stefan hadn't told him either. He didn't want to risk his brother telling Elena. He knew that Damon wouldn't mind making him look bad for keeping secrets. As he thought about Damon, he wondered why his brother had even come to the party tonight. Although Damon loved parties, he usually wasn't a big fan of the ones that the Lockwoods had. They were always too formal for his taste. And he was always complaining about the music. Something special must have happened to get Damon to attend a Lockwood party without being forced. _Maybe something with Klaus or Elijah. Or Katherine. No, Damon would have told me about that. I think. _Stefan sighed again as he tried to figure out why his brother would have showed up tonight. And then he realized something. _Of course. _He had, of course, heard his brother talking to Alaric on the phone a few days ago. He hadn't heard the whole conversation but had heard enough to know that his brother was becoming really serious about his feelings for Elena. Stefan wished that he could go inside but he knew he couldn't. If Damon wanted to try to get Elena from him, fine. Let him. But Elena will never be his. Stefan knows that Elena loves him and always will. She would never love anyone else- especially not his brother. But a part of him is still worried. Although he trusts Elena completely, he knows that his brother can be really charming. A lot of women were attracted to him. Of course, Elena was the exception. Wasn't she? A frown appears on his face as he begins to worry. Elena was in there alone. What if Damon was already talking to her? What if they were dancing together? What if they were….? Before he can finish his thought, he hears a voice come from behind him. He turns around to see a somewhat shadowy figure standing near the trees. "Hello Stefan," the shadow says with a smirk.

A few moments later, Damon and Elena recover from their paralysis and begin to walk away from the dance floor. Before Damon can say anything, Elena speaks, saying "I'm…um…I'm going to see if I can find Caroline and Bonnie." Damon nods. "Ok." He watches as Elena walks away. _Well, it was fun while it lasted. _

Elena walks through the crowd, trying to see if she can spot her friends. She was still a little dizzy from her dance with Damon, but is trying to put it out of her head. She knows she shouldn't be feeling like this about her boyfriend's brother. Her conscience is nagging at her but she's finding it so hard to listen. Damon was being really nice tonight. And he had been changing lately. He was becoming a lot nicer. And…._No, I won't think about that now. No. I'm going to stop thinking about Damon like that starting….now. _Finally, she sees her friends hanging out with her brother and Tyler. She walks over to them, smiling brightly and trying not to look guilty. "Elena! Where have you been? We've been looking for you all night,"Caroline says in her usual perky voice. Elena shrugs a little. " I've been….around." She doesn't want to tell her friends where she just was. Although she's surprised they didn't know. There hadn't been too many couples on the floor. How had the missed her dancing with Damon? Her smile widens as she realizes she has nothing to worry about. Her friends hadn't seen her dancing with Damon. Everything is ok. Bonnie is watching her with a knowing looks. _Uh oh. Maybe I spoke too soon. _Her friend smiles at her. "Hey Elena. Glad to see you. Where's Stefan?" _Of course she asked about Stefan. _Elena smiles back at her friend as widely as she can before saying "Hey Bonnie. Stefan went out for some air." Bonnie raises her eyebrows. "Really?" She gives Caroline a look that seems to say "I could use some help here." Caroline sees Bonnie's expression and decides to act on it. "Why would Stefan want air when you look so pretty tonight, Elena? And besides it's not like he needs to breathe." Elena laughs a little at Caroline's attempt at help. "Thank you, Caroline. And don't say that too loud. We wouldn't want anyone who doesn't know about….you know….to hear." Caroline shrugs. "Whatever." She turns to Tyler next to her and says " I love this song. Let's dance." Tyler shrugs and they walk towards the dancefloor. Bonnie gives Jeremy a look that says "I would like to talk to your sister alone,please." He takes the hint and says " I'm going to go get some drinks." Bonnie smiles at Jeremy. "Thanks." As soon as he's gone, she looks at Elena accusingly. "What's going on? I saw you dancing with Damon and the last time I saw Stefan he was walking out the door looking worried." Elena blushes at the mention of Damon. "But…I…I thought you guys didn't see that. And…I don't know what's going on. Stefan really did go outside for some air. At least, that's what he said. I don't know what the real reason is. But he said he'd be back soon. I was waiting for him and Damon came over and was his usual charming self. He asked me to dance and I agreed and…..that's it." Bonnie frowns. "Ok, now I'm really worried. Stefan didn't tell YOU something? Either he's on human blood again or he's working on something really dangerous that he doesn't want any of us to know about. But back to Damon…..why did you agree to dance with him? You could have just said no." Elena sighs. "What do you think he could be doing? Should we go find him? And about Damon….I really don't know. I…I guess a part of me….wanted to dance with him." She blushes again and looks nervous as she waits for her friend's reaction. She knows that Bonnie doesn't like Damon. In fact, until recently Elena hadn't been his biggest fan either. But now…..things were different. Bonnie smiles kindly at her friend and gestures for her to sit down at her table. Elena sits and Bonnie immediately starts talking. "I'm not sure what we should do about Stefan. I'm sure that he's smart enough to handle whatever it is. But if he doesn't come back within an hour, then we'll start looking. As for Damon…." She sighs before continuing. "You know I've never been his biggest fan. In fact, I would be very happy if he left this town. But even I have to admit that he cares about you. And the two of you did look great together on the dancefloor. I do think,though, that you shouldn't lead him on. Even though I wouldn't mind him being hurt, you know how he is when he's like that. And we don't need any more mysterious deaths in this town. Besides, he has to help us with the sacrifice and he can't do that if he's completely unbalanced. I think that you should talk to him alone later tonight and tell him that it didn't mean anything. You can sort out your feelings after we've made sure that you're going to stay alive." Elena nods when Bonnie is finished. "Ok. But what do you think I should do? I'm so confused, Bonnie. I love Stefan. I know I love Stefan. At least, I think I do. But when I was dancing with Damon tonight, I felt…..something. Something more than anything I've ever felt with Stefan. I don't know when it happened. Damon and I have always had a complicated relationship and I've never really liked him but now….." Elena shook her head a little. "Now I don't know. I don't know what I feel and that's killing me." She frowned and looked at Bonnie with such a lost expression on her face that Bonnie could barely stop herself from crying. She pat Elena's hand comfortingly. "I don't know what you should do, Elena. Only you can know what you feel. But I do know one thing. If you really loved Stefan, then you wouldn't feel anything but friendship for Damon. I'm not saying that you were never in love with Stefan. I know you were. But maybe somewhere along the way you fell for Damon. As much as I would love for you and Stefan to be together forever, I should have known that you would have fallen for Damon eventually." Elena raises her eyebrows at that last sentence. "Wh-what do you mean? I'm not Katherine. I'm not just playing with Stefan and Damon's feelings. I'm…" Bonnie pats her friend's arm again to calm her down. "I know that you're not Katherine, Elena. Trust me, I know. All I meant was that I've seen the way Damon looks at you. I've noticed all his flirty comments and meaningful looks at you. I've seen the way you two are together. You're always making jokes with each other. You're always comforting him and he's always saving you. It's obvious to everyone that he's head over heels for you even if it is in his own twisted way." Bonnie laughs a little when she sees the annoyed expression on Elena's face at the word "twisted." "I'm not trying to insult him, Elena. It just comes out. What I'm trying to say is that…..either way you choose you will be choosing someone who loves you. But, Elena…." Bonnie's expression turned serious. "In the end, you need to choose the one that you love. Not the one who's the safest. Not the one who's the most exciting. But the one you love the most." Elena nods and says "Thanks Bonnie. I'll do that." Bonnie hugs her friend. "Good." She moves away just as Jeremy reappears with the drinks. "Here you go." He says as he hands one to Bonnie and one to Elena. They both say "thanks" and change the topic of conversation to something less…..serious.

Stefan smiled. "Viktor. I'm glad you could make it." The shadow moves forward, coming out of the darkness. He is a rather tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. He is wearing casual clothes, jeans and a T-shirt. He looks perfectly normal but there is something about his expression that would intimidate any sane person. "Well, you wanted me to come. And since you had a good reason, I decided that I would." Stefan nods and gestures around to their surroundings. "Why did you want to meet here?" Viktor shrugs a little and says "I thought it would be an easy location for you since you were going to the party anyway. And I think there's something….poetic about secret meetings taking place in the forest." Viktor smirks in such a Damon-like way that Stefan has to stop himself from laughing. "Well…..I'm just glad that no one is likely to come out here. So….did you find the spell?" Viktor shrugs. "Maybe. For a price." He smirks again. Stefan frowns. "What price?" Viktor moves closer to Stefan. When he's standing right in front of him, he says, in a threatening voice "That you and your brother leave Mystic Falls." He moves away a little as he continues speaking. "There have been too many attacks and I feel that if you two weren't here there wouldn't be any. In fact, your brother was responsible for…quite a lot of them." Stefan shakes his head rapidly. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave Elena. And Damon hasn't killed anybody in a while. I can't promise that he never will again, but I can't force him to leave either." Viktor sighs and puts on a fake disappointed expression. "That's a pity. Because I have the spell all ready. In fact…" He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I have it right here." Stefan moves to grab it but Viktor moves it out of his reach and then lifts his other hand up. Before Stefan can say anything, he's stuck to a tree. Viktor laughs evilly and moves closer to Stefan. "Now…..what do you say to my conditions?" Stefan shakes his head again. "No. I'm really sorry. I can't agree to that. But….I'm sure there must be something else you want." He says that in an almost pleading voice. Viktor looks thoughtful, considering. He lets Stefan down and begins to pace around the area a little. After a few moments, he turns back to Stefan and says "Ok. I've thought of something. I'll tell you the spell if…." He stops talking just to increase the tension. "If you'll let me have a little meeting with your brother." Stefan frowns. "You want to meet with Damon? Why?" Viktor smiles. "To get him to promise not to kill any more people in town. And if he won't agree…I could always just kill him." Stefan shakes his head again. "No. You can't do that. Damon's my brother. I won't let you kill him." Viktor sighs and fake frowns. "Fine. Have fun watching Elena die." He begins to walk away but then Stefan calls him back. "Wait." Viktor turns around slowly and raises his eyebrows. "What?" Stefan sighs and then says "You can meet with Damon. But only if I can come too." Viktor considers it for a moment and then nods. "Deal." They shake hands as the night grows darker.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note :So…sorry for the late update. I've had writer's block on this story. But now I've gotten my inspiration back. I still don't think this chapter is the best but…please read it anyway! =3 And don't forget to REVIEW! I can't know how I'm doing if you don't tell me ;p.**

Damon was standing on the opposite side of the dancefloor from Elena and Bonnie. He was trying not to listen to their conversation but kept hearing parts of it. He couldn't help it with his supernaturally good hearing. He doesn't know how to react to what he does hear. It seems like Elena loves him but he knows she doesn't. _She loves my brother. She always will love my brother. And she will never love me. _He frowns at the thought. Of course, he didn't blame her. Why would anyone choose him when they could have Stefan? Stefan, who was so 'perfect.' Who never made a mistake. Who always knew the right thing to say and do. He, on the other hand, was always messing up. Of course, he can't help it. He tries to help but sometimes things don't work out the way he means them to. _But Elena deserves better than that. She deserves someone who doesn't mess up. She deserves someone like my brother. _Damon sighs a little as he tunes back into Elena and Bonnie's conversation. He decides that it doesn't matter what he hears now. It won't change anything. He hears Bonnie making a speech about him and smirks. _So the witch doesn't completely hate me. Hmmm. I'll keep that in mind if I ever need any help from her. _He hears Elena reply and frowns at the lost tone in her voice. _What does she mean she doesn't know how she feels? Of course she does. She loves Stefan. Everyone knows that. _An optimistic voice in the depths of his head says "But what if she doesn't? What if she loves you?" _No,no. This is Elena we're talking about. She's not Katherine. She's way too good for me._ Damon smiles sadly as he listens to Bonnie's reply. At her last sentence, his eyes widen. _What does she mean she should have known that Elena would fall for me? _He smirks a little at the thought of Bonnie thinking that anyone especially Elena would fall for him. When Elena replies to her friend, he frowns a little. _Of course you're not Katherine, Elena. You're nothing like her. _He's glad when Bonnie interrupts. He listens to Bonnie's speech. At the end of it, he smirks and thinks : _Good advice,witch. "The one she loves the most." Obviously that means she'll choose Stefan. Of course. _He sighs and walks toward the bar. _I need a drink. _

Caroline and Tyler had come back from the dancefloor and now we were all talking about random things. At least, they were. I wasn't really paying too much attention to the conversation. I couldn't stop thinking about Damon and our dance together. I wondered how I could get him alone and talk to him. I wondered what I could say so that I would make it clear that nothing had happened but not hurt him. A sigh came out of me before I could stop it. Caroline, who was sitting next to me, stopped talking and looked at me with a concerned expression. "Elena, are you ok?" I nodded. "I'm fine,Caroline." I smiled in what I hoped was a believable way. "Just….tired." I shrugged. "Oh…ok." Caroline said as she pat my hand a little. Then she went back to the conversation. Bonnie looked at me with the same concerned expression that Caroline had but I shook my head and mouthed " I'm fine" to her. She didn't look convinced but she looked away from me and went back to her conversation with the others. I frowned a little as I wondered what everyone would think if I chose Damon. Bonnie would probably be like she had tonight : reluctant but understanding. Caroline would probably be a little annoyed but be happy for me. Jeremy wouldn't mind at all. Jenna would probably not mind too much. Alaric would be happy for his friend. And Stefan...Stefan would be sad but accepting. My frown deepened as I thought of Stefan. I didn't want to hurt him especially not now. There was already so much going on with the sacrifice that I didn't want to add to it. Bonnie was right. I would have to wait until after the sacrifice to sort out my feelings. I would just do what I always did. I would pretend not to have any feelings for Damon. I would pretend not to love his beautiful eyes. I would pretend not to have butterflies in my stomach every time he comes near me. I would pretend my heart didn't skip a beat every time he said my name in that annoying yet endearing way of his. I would pretend for Stefan's sake. Until after the sacrifice. Then I would think about it and finally decide. "Elena." Caroline was saying. "Elena." I seemed to come back to reality as I smiled at my friend. "Sorry. I was…um….just thinking about some things. What do you want Caroline?" I tried to keep any annoyance out of my voice as I asked that question but I didn't completely succeed. Caroline frowned a little as she said. "I just wanted to know if you knew this song." I listened carefully to the song. It was a slow one. I blushed, hoping no one would notice, and nodded. "Yeah. Um….they played it at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. When we were dancing." Caroline smiled brightly and had a triumphant expression on her face. "I knew I knew this song. That must be where I know it from. Thanks Elena." I laughed a little. "You're welcome, Caroline." Then Caroline looked at me with a curious expression. "But why were you blushing before?" _So someone did notice. Oh no. _I shrugged a little. "I don't know. Was I blushing?" I said, playing dumb. Caroline nodded emphatically. "Yes, you were. Why? I mean, Stefan wasn't even at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. He left before the dancing anyway. And you had to dance with….." Her voice trails off as she realizes. "Damon. Elena….." She looked at me with a stern expression. Well, as stern an expression as Caroline can have anyway. "Please don't tell me you're falling for Damon. Please." I shook my head a little. "I…um….don't know. But it doesn't matter right now. We need to focus on the sacrifice. I'll figure out my feelings after that." Caroline sighed a little but then nodded. "Ok. Fine." She looked away from me and began talking to Tyler. I frowned, earning another concerned look from Bonnie. "I'm fine." I whispered to her. "I…um…need to go to the bathroom." I got up from the table and walked toward the bathroom, hoping I wouldn't run into anyone I knew.

In the forest, Stefan and Viktor were making some final arrangements on their deal. "When should I bring him to you?" Stefan was asking in a curious tone. Viktor looked thoughtful, seeming to consider very hard. After a few moments, he spoke again. "How about tomorrow?" Stefan nodded. "Ok. But…what should I tell him? He's not going to just agree to come with me." Viktor smirked in such a Damon-like way that Stefan had to stop himself from laughing. "Tell him that if he doesn't come then Elena has no hope. He'll listen to that." Viktor laughed in an almost evil way. Stefan frowned and his usual serious expression appeared on his face. "What makes you say that?" Viktor laughed again. "I've been keeping track of you and your brother out of curiosity. I've heard everything about you two. Everything. Including the fact that history seems to be repeating itself." He smiled in a mischievous way. "Do you and your brother **always** fall in love with the same woman or is it just a coincidence?" Stefan's frown grew deeper. "I…I don't know." Viktor laughed yet again. "Well….it's handy for me. I need some way to get your brother to talk to me." He shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow." Stefan nodded, managing to put a little smile on his face. "Yes." Viktor smiled. "Good." Stefan began to walk away but heard a voice calling him back. "Stefan." He turned around. "Yes, Viktor?" Viktor walked closer to him. "Don't let your brother do anything stupid." Stefan frowned again. "What do you mean?" Viktor smirked again. "I mean…don't let him talk you into letting him come alone. Or don't let him make you believe that anything else could save Elena. Because nothing can." Stefan nodded. "I won't." Viktor smiled. "Good." He walked away, leaving Stefan frowning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note : Sorry for the late update but I had writers block AGAIN. But now I'm getting my inspiration back. Also, thank you to anyone who has favorited or story-alerted or reviewed. If you're reading this story, then please review! I'd like to know how I'm doing. I don't know if my writing is good or not unless you tell me so please REVIEW! =3**

I couldn't believe it. This was me, Elena Gilbert. I didn't do things like this. I didn't have a reason to do things like this. But I was. I was sitting in the bathroom crying over nothing. But…it wasn't nothing. It was Damon. Damon…..I didn't understand what drew me to him. After all, I had spent a lot of time hating him but now I didn't. I couldn't. I only knew that no matter what I said, I did care about him far more than I should. I sighed and got up from the toilet I had been sitting on. I wiped my eyes and opened the door of the stall, going towards the mirror to check if my makeup was running. I gasped a little as I looked in the mirror and saw who was behind me. She was smiling, almost smirking. She was wearing a dress and looked perfect. I took a deep breath and turned around. "Katherine. What are you doing here?" She walked slowly towards me, still wearing the same almost smirk. When she was standing right next to me, she spoke again. "I'm here to find Stefan. And what are _you _doing in _here_? Did Stefan FINALLY break up with you?" I shook my head. "No. I…All the things that are happening are finally getting to me,I guess. It just hit me all at once." Katherine rolled her eyes and sighed in a dramatic way. "Please, Elena. I know that's not the truth. I saw you dancing with Damon." She said the last sentence in a somewhat singsongy voice as she raised an eyebrow at me. I frowned at her. "How long have you been here? And if you thought you already knew the truth then why did you ask me?" Katherine rolled her eyes, seeming to be annoyed by my questions. " I've been here since the beginning of the party. Of course, I had to use a little compulsion to get in and make sure no one thought I was you. By the way, the story is that we're cousins who look weirdly alike in case anyone asks." Katherine said with a wink at me. "And as for your second question….." She shrugged. "I was just wondering if I'd get to hear you admit it." I shook my head again, refusing to believe what she was saying. "Admit what?" I spoke in a careful voice, playing dumb. Katherine rolled her eyes again. " That you're in love with Damon." She said with a mischievous look in her eyes. "And before you deny it, I heard your conversation with Bonnie. 'Oh, Bonnie I don't know what to do. I love Stefan but I feel _something _for Damon. Whatever shall I do? I don't want to be like Katherine.'" She mimicked Elena's voice as she smirked. Elena frowned. "Y-you heard that?" Katherine sighed. "Yes, I heard it." With another sigh, she sat down on the sink and gestured for Elena to move closer. She did as she waited for her ancestor to speak. "Look, you know I am the _last _person to give advice to _anyone_, especially you. But….I think you need it." Katherine smiled in as kind a way as she could as she continued. "I've been there before so I know exactly how you're feeling. Of course, I never had a conscience like you do so things were different for me. I didn't mind being with both brothers. However, you would. What I would do is…..And I can't _believe _I'm saying this….do just what your friend Bonnie suggested. Focus on the sacrifice and sort out your feelings later. We _don't_ need you distracted." She raised her eyebrows as she jumped down from the sink, looking in the mirror with a wide smile. "Thanks for the advice I guess." Elena said with a confused expression on her face. "Oh, you're welcome." Katherine said with a dismissive shrug. "Now,get back to the party. Your boyfriends will be missing you." Elena rolled her eyes and left the bathroom, smiling in spite of herself because of her strange encounter with her doppelganger.

Stefan began making his way back to the house, wondering exactly how long he had been in the forest. It was darker than it had been when he had gone in. He also wondered how Elena was. _She must be wondering where I am._ A frown appeared on his face as he thought of the fact that he has to keep something from Elena. Of course, she knew that everyone was trying to save her but Stefan didn't think that she would approve of this spell. It wasn't exactly…..good….but Stefan had no choice. He couldn't lose Elena. He wouldn't lose Elena. He sighed as he began to walk towards the door that he had left from. He hoped that Elena wouldn't ask him what had taken him so long. He was too tired to think of an excuse. Of course, he probably could if he needed to but he didn't want Elena to find out about this because of his bad lying skills. Finally, he opened the door and rejoined the party, pasting a smile on his face.

Damon was sitting at the bar, drinking drink after drink after drink. He was glad that Alaric and Jenna had decided to hit the dancefloor since he wasn't in the mood for conversation. Of course, he _needed_ to talk to Jenna. He sighed as he remembered the phone call of a few weeks ago when he had confessed his feelings to his friend. _I must have been drunk. _He thought with a little smirk. But he knows, of course, that he hadn't been. He had just needed to tell _someone _how he felt about Elena. Someone who….well, wasn't Elena. Of course, Elena did know. He had told her himself. He _had _made her forget it,though. _But she probably still knows. Everyone knows. _He sighed as he ordered yet another drink.

Viktor smirked as he made his way back to his home. _Damon Salvatore won't know what hit him. _He thought happily. Of course, he planned on keeping his promise. He would do the spell. He would allow Elena to live. And he might just allow Damon to live. But he had some other tricks up his sleeve. There are other ways to make someone suffer without killing them. And he knew just how to make Damon suffer. He hadn't been sure until his meeting with Stefan tonight but now he was. He was going to make Damon suffer by hurting the person he knew Damon would do anything for. Elena.

**Author's Note 2 : Sorry that this chapter is so short. I hope you all like it. If you like it (or even if you don't) let me know by leaving a review. Pleeeeeeease *puppy eyes*. On another note, to the people who are reading my other story Is It Ok To Love Them Both?, I'll try to update that one soon. I just don't have any inspiration for it. For some reason, this story comes easier to me. =3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry AGAIN for the late update. Thanks again to anyone who story-alerted, favorited, or reviewed. And speaking of reviews, please review. Seeing them makes me smile =). Anyway…hope you like this next chapter =3**

I made my way back to the table where all my friends were sitting, still smiling. When I got there, I sat down at the seat I had been sitting in before and got involved in the conversation. I was having fun. After a while, Bonnie tapped my arm and pointed toward the door. "Look who's back" She said with a little smile. I turned toward the door and sure enough, there he was. Stefan. I smiled and waved to him. He began walking toward our table and before I knew it, he was right in front of me. "Hello Elena. Sorry I took so long. I got lost in that forest out there." He said with a smile. "It's ok. I'm just glad you're back. Want to sit down?" I patted the empty seat next to me. He nodded and sat down, smiling at everyone. I turned back to my friends and continued with the conversation.

I watched as my brother re-entered the room. _Yay, he's back._ I thought sarcastically. _I wonder what took him so long. He couldn't have really gotten lost in the forest. _I took another sip of my drink as I tried to think of an explanation. Before I could think of one, I heard someone next to me order a drink. I looked over and smiled a little when I saw who it was. "Where's Jenna?" I asked. "She saw a few friends of hers and went over to talk to them" Ric said with a shrug. "Oh" I frowned a little. "Did you ask her about…" I looked around like I wanted to make sure no one could hear before continuing "not telling you know who you know what?" I raised my eyebrows a little. "I tried hinting to her but she didn't seem to catch on. Besides, I thought you wanted to be the one to ask her." He looked at me curiously. "Well I did when I was in control of my feelings." I took another drink, draining it. I ordered another one and then turned back to Ric. "But now…..I'm not." Ric frowned. "What do you mean?" I smirked. "I danced with Elena. You must have seen us. We dance pretty well together if I do say so myself." Ric laughed. "I did see you. But I don't see how that matters if you really don't love her." He said that last sentence in a teasing tone as he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes. "You know that's not true. That's just what I'm going to tell Jenna. You know I…." Ric put up two hands in the universal gesture of surrender "Ok. Ok. I know. But I don't think I'm drunk enough to hear you confess your feelings…AGAIN." I smirked again. "Well then order another drink because I have some serious feelings to tell you about." Ric sighed before draining his glass and ordering another.

Stefan and I were still sitting at the table, talking to my friends. Well, I was doing most of the talking. Eventually a slow song came on. Jeremy and Bonnie headed to the dance floor and so did Caroline and Tyler. "So….um…" I wasn't sure what to say. "Would you like to dance, Elena?" Stefan said with a smile. "Um…sure. I mean, yes, I would love to." He smiled at me and put out his hand. I took it and we joined the other couples on the dance floor. "I love this song." Stefan frowned a little. "Really? It's kind of…sad, isn't it?" I nodded. "Yeah, it is. But it's so….emotional. You can really feel how much the singer loves the person she's singing about." I smiled a little. "Who doesn't want to be loved like that?" Stefan smiled. "True. But…if the singer is really in love then…why is she so sad?" I laughed a little. "I think you need to listen to the lyrics a little closer, Stefan. 'We could have had it all, rolling in the deep. You had my heart and soul in your hands and you played it to the beat' Obviously, she's in love with a guy and he broke her heart." Stefan nodded. "I guess so. I wonder why they would put such a sad song on for a slow dance. Doesn't seem like something Mrs. Lockwood would choose. Maybe Damon had something to do with it." I frowned. "Why would you say that?" Stefan shrugged. "Well….he's here. He might have compelled the DJ to play music that he liked. He's always complaining about the music at these parties." I nodded a little. "True, he is. But he wouldn't have chosen this song." Stefan frowned. "How do you know?" I shrugged a little "Well….he hates this song." Stefan looked at me curiously. "Really? He does?" I nodded. "Yeah." Stefan frowned again. "How do you know?" I shrugged a little. "Well…I was at the boarding house one day waiting for you and I started listening to the radio. This song came on and he kept asking me to turn it off but I wouldn't." I smiled a little at the memory. Damon had kept insisting that I needed to turn off the radio or else he would compel me to. Of course, it wouldn't have worked and he knew that but it had still been funny. Stefan smiled too. "Then he agrees with me that it's too sad." I shook my head. "No. He just thinks it's sad that the singer seems to be giving up on whoever she loves. I don't agree, though. Maybe she just…..doesn't want to bother him. Or she doesn't think he feels the same way anymore. Or he's dating someone else." Stefan listened while I talked, nodding a little as I finished. "Maybe. But the only way to find out is to ask Adele herself." I smiled a little,nodding too. "Yep." When the song changed, I laughed a little. Stefan smiled and looked at me curiously. "What? What's so funny?" I shook my head and kept laughing. "Nothing. It's just…..this is one of Damon's favorite songs." Stefan frowned. "How do you know that?" I laughed a little. "What? I'm not allowed to discuss music with my friends." I spoke in a teasing voice. "Of course you are….I…" I laughed. "I was kidding, Stefan." Stefan smiled a little. "Oh. Sorry. I…I knew that." I shrugged. "It's ok. Although it is a little weird that I know more about Damon's musical tastes than you do." I frowned. Now that I thought about it,that was strange. I knew what music Damon liked and his own BROTHER didn't? Stefan frowned too. "Well….we don't really talk about that sort of thing. In fact, we don't really talk about anything?" I sighed a little. "Well, you should. He's your brother, Stefan. You should know more about him. Just…try talking to him about something non-sacrifice related for a change." I smiled a little. "Ok. I'll do that…..AFTER the sacrifice." I sighed. "Fine. But if I die, you'll still have to do it. Even if you have to ask Damon for his favorite songs while you're carrying my coffin up." I smiled again. "Don't say things like that. I won't let you die. And neither will Damon." I patted Stefan's back a little, smiling kindly at him. "I know that, Stefan. I'm just joking." Stefan looked relieved. "Oh. Ok." Another song came on and I smiled. "What? Does Damon like this one too?" I nodded. "He loves it. In fact, he says that if any girl he'd ever…done anything too….came back to life-or if they're alive, just came- and sang this song to him, he'd kiss them." I laughed at the memory. "Well let's get Caroline and Andie on it, shall we?" Stefan said with a little smile. "Sounds good. But we'll have to do it in a way that doesn't seem like we're doing it just for him." Stefan frowned. "You're serious about this?" I nodded. "Yeah. Damon deserves a break from all the craziness going on lately. We all do." Stefan nodded, agreeing with me. "Ok. What should we do then?" I thought for a while, trying to think of the perfect way to do this. Then the perfect idea popped into my head. "Why don't we have a karaoke night? We could have it at your house. I could bring my old karaoke machine. We'll get Caroline and Andie in on it and we'll invite everyone. They can all sing whatever they want and then we'll save Caroline and Andie's thing for the big finale." Stefan nodded again. "That sounds good." I smiled. "Great. I'll have to buy some new karaoke CDs but it'll be worth it. I'll tell Caroline about it tomorrow. We have a girl's day planned anyway. And maybe you could tell Andie some time. But make sure Damon doesn't hear you." Stefan laughed. "I think that'll be pretty impossible." He pointed to his ears. "Supernatural hearing, remember?" I nodded. "Right. Well…maybe you could ask her if you see her around town. Or I could ask her if I happen to see her." Stefan nodded. "Alright everyone. We're going to have a fun song to give the couples a break. If you know it, then stay on the dance floor. If not, then sit down…or get someone to teach you." A familiar song came over the speakers. I smiled as I looked at Stefan. "You ready? 'Cause I am a master at this dance." Stefan shook his head. "I…I don't know it." I laughed as I began to do the familiar moves of the dance. "You're kidding right? In all your years, you've never once learned the _Cotton Eye Joe?" _I shook my head. "That's hard to believe." Stefan shrugged as he moved to avoid the dancers. "I was never really a big party animal." I frowned a little. "Oh. Well, it's never too late to learn." I smiled again. Stefan shook his head. "I don't think it's my thing. I'll just go and sit down. Have fun." He kissed me and headed back towards the table. I frowned but smiled again as I got into the dance.

"Are you sure you didn't compel the DJ? I don't think Mrs. Lockwood is the Cotton Eye Joe type." Ric was saying with a raised eyebrow. I laughed and shook my head. "I'm sure. Anyway, I'm going to head to the dance floor. Want to come?" Ric shook his head. "I already had to hear your feelings. Don't make me dance too." I shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way." I was about to head to the dance floor when Jenna came up to us. "Hey Ric. Hey Damon." Ric smiled widely. "Hey Jenna." I raised my glass a little and smiled. "Hey." I drank the last of what was left in my glass and put it down. "Would YOU like to join me on the dance floor?" Jenna shook her head. "My days of dancing to this song ended once I turned 13." I shrugged. "Awww. Too bad. Now if you two will excuse me, I am going to go dance." I made my way toward the crowded dance floor. I made my way to the middle of the crowd and began dancing. After a few turns, I saw a familiar figure. "Hello Elena." I smirked at her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I am just full of inspiration today =) Hope you like it, people who are actually reading this story xd (:**

I turned around to find Damon smirking at me. "Damon." My feelings were still mixed up. I was surprised that Stefan hadn't noticed, actually. But now….now they were going crazy. I hadn't expected to have to see Damon again tonight. However, I was an expert at awkward situations. I put a smile on my face as I continued dancing. "I didn't know you knew this dance." He shrugged as he danced. "Who doesn't?" I frowned. Stefan didn't know it. Of course, Stefan and Damon were very different. But….Damon was right. I had never met anyone except Stefan who didn't know this dance. Stefan didn't really have a normal life, of course, but then again neither did Damon. Suddenly, something occurred to me. "How do you know this dance….and Stefan doesn't?" Damon smirked again as he turned. "That's what you want to know. Well….I haven't been keeping up with my brother too much during the past few decades, but I don't think he would have had time to learn the Cotton Eye Joe between his Ripper phases and his normal phases. Although, I do remember Lexi taking him out dancing a few times. I guess she forgot about this one." I smiled a little. "Oh. Well we'll have to teach him some time." Damon nodded. "Yes, we will." As he finished his sentence, the song ended. "Awwwww." Damon said with a fake pout. I was just about to go back to the table when another song began. A wide smile appeared on my face before I could stop it. "You're not going to leave me alone to dance to our theme song, are you?" Damon said with his usual smirk. I shook my head and laughed. "It's not our theme song, Damon." Damon frowned a little. "I'm insulted. Lexi and Stefan always had a BFF theme song. Why can't we?" I looked at him, raising my eyebrows. "Did you just call me your BFF?" Damon shrugged,smirking again. "I guess I did. Now are you going to dance with me or not?" I shrugged. "Why not, _BFF?"_ Damon laughed as he began to dance. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" I shook my head. "Never. " I said in a teasing tone. Damon laughed again. "Oh no. I'm scared." I laughed too as we kept dancing. "Only the good diie young. Only the good die young. You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation." Damon sang as he danced. "…but Virginia, they didn't give you quite enough information. You didn't count on me when you were counting on your rosary." I sang with a smile. "The sinners are much more fun."Damon sang with a smirk. "If I do say so myself." He wiggled his eyebrows and did that eye thing that always drove me crazy. I laughed in spite of myself. "See, isn't this _fun?"_ He said with a smile as the song ended. Another one started and I laughed. "Ok, did you compel the DJ or something? Because this is _your _theme song." Damon shook his head as he raised his arms up in the air and began to scream the lyrics of the song. I laughed again. I couldn't seem to stop laughing. "You know, it says raise your glass, not raise your arms." Damon shrugged. "Well, I don't have a glass." I nodded and laughed again. "True. True." Damon smiled. "What's so funny? You keep laughing." I smiled. "You are….._BFF_."I said in a teasing tone. Damon rolled his eyes. "Why thank you, _BFF."_ I smiled and shrugged. "What are friends for?" Damon smiled back and we kept dancing.

When the Cotton Eye Joe ended, I smiled. Elena would be coming back now. Also, I hated the stupid song. Lexi had tried to teach me the dance once but it hadn't worked. I just couldn't get the hang of it. When the song changed and Elena didn't leave the dance floor, I tuned into her conversation with Damon. I felt bad about spying on her but I had to know why she wasn't coming back. _Theme song? Since when do they have a theme song?_ A frown appeared on my face before I could stop it. I listened to their conversation and when they began singing the lyrics to each other, my frown grew deeper. Elena and I never did things like that. In fact, we never really talked about our personal music tastes. We didn't have a theme song. But we should. We were a couple, after all. Didn't all couples do things like that? As the next song came on, someone came to sit next to me. I looked at them and managed a small smile when I saw who it was. "Hey, Stefan." Bonnie smiled. "Hello Bonnie. How are you?" She shrugged. "I'm fine. How are you?" She looked genuinely concerned for me. Elena's friends were all so nice to me. All the time. "I'm fine. Just….." I shook my head and tried to smile. "It's nothing." Bonnie raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I don't believe you." A small smile appeared on her face as she pat my hand comfortingly. "Look, you're dating my best friend which makes us friends by association. You can tell me if something's bothering you." I nodded. "I know. Thank you." I sighed and then began to talk. "Did you know Damon and Elena had a theme song?" Bonnie smiled and shook her head. "No. But it doesn't mean anything." I frowned. "It doesn't?" Bonnie shook her head again and then began singing. "I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want." A bright smile appeared on her face and she looked nostalgic as she sang. "That was my theme song with Elena and Caroline when we were younger. We used to dance to it all the time." I managed a small smile. "That's nice." Bonnie nodded. "Yes, it is. The point is…..a lot of friends have theme songs. It's nothing to worry about." I nodded. "I know. Lexi and I had one. It's just…..Elena and I don't." Bonnie frowned. "Really? Well, that can be easily fixed. What was the first song you two danced to? That can be your song." I thought, trying to remember….but I couldn't. I remember the first time we danced together but I can't remember the song. I frowned. "I…I can't remember." Bonnie looked surprised. I didn't blame her. After all, I was Elena's boyfriend. I was supposed to remember little things like this. Bonnie recovered quickly,though, and smiled kindly at me. "Well….what about a song that always reminds you two of each other?" I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'll…I'll ask Elena." I smiled a little. "Ok." Bonnie said as she pat my hand again.

**Author's Note Part 2: 1. Review, Review, Review! I like reading what people think of my story =)**

**2. I feel like I'm making Stefan out of character. Sorry if I am. As you've probably noticed, I'm a Delena fan and…well…I'm not Stefan's biggest fan. :P**

**3. What do you think of Damon and Elena's theme song? Or Damon's? Or Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie's?**

** do you think of the fact that Stefan and Elena don't have a *song*? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry for the really late update but I've been so busy & I forgot about fanfiction. But….I'm back! And season 2 will be out in a day! Whoohoo! In case anyone's curious about the theme songs : Damon & Elena's is Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel (or the Glee Cast :P), Damon's is Raise Your Glass by Pink (or the Glee Cast :P) & Elena,Caroline, & Bonnie's is Wannabe by the Spice Girls. Also, as usual REVIEW! **

Damon and I kept dancing. I wasn't sure why I hadn't left the dance floor yet but I was having fun. I didn't want to leave the dance floor. Suddenly, Damon spoke. "Having fun?" He said with his usual smirk. I nodded. "Yes, I am, _BFF."_ He rolled his eyes. "I'm glad to hear that,_BFF."_ He said, imitating my tone. Suddenly the song changed and Damon smiled widely. "You like this song?" I said curiously. Damon nodded. "Yes I do." He began waving his arms like crazy as I laughed. Then when the chorus began, he pointed at me and sang. "If I had _you_ that would be the only thing I'd ever need. If I had _you_ then money, fame and fortune never could compete. If I had _you_ life would be a party, it'd be _ecstasy_." Suddenly I felt a little awkward. I knew Damon was just singing the song but somehow it felt personal. A concerned expression appeared on Damon's face. "Are you ok?" I nodded. "Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." Damon frowned. "Are you sure?" I smiled, trying to reassure him. I was still feeling awkward,though. "It's nothing." Damon rolled his eyes. "I don't believe that." He moved closer to me,making me feel more awkward. "Just tell me what's wrong, _BFF._" I smiled when he called me BFF. "Ok. When you were singing that song I felt….awkward."Damon frowned and a confused expression appeared on his face. "Why did you feel awkward?" I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess…because I felt like you weren't just singing the song. Like…you really _meant_ what you were singing." Damon smirked and I frowned. "Damon." I said in that tone I said his name in when I was annoyed with him. "Elena." He said in the tone that he usually replied in. "Well, you're right. I did mean what I was singing. But I don't know why that would make you feel awkward. Unless….has anyone said anything to you about me?" Now I was the confused one. "No. Why?" Damon sighed before he spoke again. "I told Alaric some….things about you and he told Jenna and I'm not sure if she told you." I shook my head. "No,Jenna hasn't mentioned you." He looked relieved. "Good. I'll have to make sure she keeps it that way." I frowned. "Why? What could be so bad?" He shook his head a little. "It's nothing. Nothing important. And _you_" He pointed at me. "need to stay focused on the sacrifice." I shook my head. "Not tonight. Tonight is my night off from supernatural drama." Damon smiled. "Well, in that case….feel free to ask Jenna about it. But…she probably won't tell you." I raised my eyebrows. "Why not?" He smirked. "Because I'm going to make sure she doesn't tell you." Now it was my turn to smirk. "She's on vervain, Damon. You can't compel her." Damon rolled his eyes. "Who said anything about compelling her? I'm just going to talk to her and make her realize that you can't know what I said." I frowned. "Why not,_BFF? _Friends don't keep secrets." He smirked. "I know that, Elena. But…let's just say that it'll make you feel more awkward than you felt before when I was singing that song. And you don't need to feel awkward now." I nodded a little but I was suddenly curious. What could Damon have possibly said that would make me feel that awkward? "Ok. How about this….If I survive the sacrifice, you'll have to tell me yourself." Damon nodded. "_When _you survive the sacrifice, I'll tell you." I smiled. "Good." Damon looked around and then looked back at me. "I just spotted your aunt. I'm going to go make sure she doesn't tell you before I do. But first I'll be a good BFF and walk you back to your table." I nodded. "Ok."

Damon and I quickly reached the table where Stefan and Bonnie were sitting and talking. Stefan's face lit up the moment he saw me. "Elena." I smiled brightly back at him. "Hey Stefan."Then I turned to my best friend. "Hey Bonnie." Bonnie smiled back at me. "Hey Elena." Then she nodded in Damon's direction. "Damon." Damon nodded back to her. "Bonnie." Then he looked at Stefan. "So, what have you two been talking about? Tonight's the night off from supernatural drama, remember?" He said with a smile at me. Stefan smiled. "It is, Damon. Bonnie and I were just talking about how Elena and I need a song." Damon frowned. "You guys don't have a _song_? Well, why don't you just make it the first song you danced to?" Stefan looked embarrassed. "I can't remember what that was so…" I frowned. How could Stefan not remember? I remembered the song. At least, I thought I did. Damon looked surprised and then began to hum a familiar song."Isn't that the song we danced to during the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant?" Damon nodded. "Yes, it is." Bonnie looked between Damon and I with a look of panic but it was soon gone. She turned to me with a smile and said: "I also suggested that you make your song a song that reminds the two of you of each other. Stefan wanted to ask your opinion. What do you think, Elena?" I began to think. There had to be a song that reminded me of Stefan but for some reason I couldn't think of one. "I'll think about it." I finally said as I managed a smile. Damon began humming under his breath "To give me all your love is all I've ever asked 'cause what you don't understand is I'd catch a grenade for ya. Throw my head on a blade for ya. I'd jump in front of a train for ya. You know I'd do anything for ya." I looked at Damon with a smile. "Um…is there a reason why you're humming 'Grenade'?" He looked at me with an almost sad expression. After a few moments, he spoke. "Because it's a song that reminds _me_ of you." I was…shocked. Of course, I knew that Damon would do anything for me. He had proved that several times. What shocked me was that he had actually been thinking of songs that would remind him of me. Somehow it didn't seem like something Damon would do. Damon must have noticed my shock because he frowned and mumbled "I..um…have to go find….Alaric." With that, he walked away. I sat down next to Stefan, still shocked. Stefan looked at me with concern. "Are you ok?" I managed a smile and nodded. "I'm fine." But it wasn't true. I was still….shocked. In fact, I didn't know what I was feeling only that I was feeling _something._

_I shouldn't have done that_ was my first thought as I walked away from Elena and co. Elena had looked so….shocked. She shouldn't have been,though. I mean, how many times have people told her I loved her? I even told her but of course, I compelled her to forget it. After making my way through the crowd, I arrived at the bar where Alaric and Jenna were having a drink. "Hello Alaric. Hello Jenna." Alaric smiled at me. "Hey Damon." Jenna smiled too. "Hey Damon. What are you doing here?" I smiled. "Well…I need to talk to you." Jenna looked confused. "Me? Why do you need to talk to me?" I sat down and ordered a bourbon before I turned back to her. "I told Alaric something a while ago. Something about Elena. And he told you, didn't he?" I raised my eyebrows. Jenna nodded. "Yes, he did. I was planning on telling Elena after we got home from the party." I smiled at her. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell her. Elena has a lot going on in her life right now and I don't want to add to it." Jenna frowned. "Really? What's going on." _Nice one,Damon._ I thought. I had forgotten that Jenna didn't know all about the supernatural drama going on. Someone should really clue her in. "Well..you know there's school and…Stefan….and her friends. And she's still dealing with her parents and John and…well…I'm sure a lot of other things." Jenna nodded. "That's true. But Elena's a strong girl. She can take it. And I think someone being _in love_ with her is more important than all of that." Now I was feeling awkward. "Well….maybe….but I just don't want to bother her with all of that now. So please don't tell her." I looked her directly in the eye, not trying to compel her, but just trying to convince her by my expression that I meant what I said. Jenna nodded. "Ok. But you'll have to promise me that you'll tell her yourself." I nodded. "I will. I promise." Jenna smiled. "Good." Suddenly a thought occurred to me and I became curious. "But why do you _want_ Elena to know? I thought you were Team Stefan like everyone else." Jenna laughed at my 'Team Stefan' comment. " I love Stefan. I really do. I'm sure Elena could be happy with him. But…there's something about him that just….bothers me. He's a really sweet guy, really. He just doesn't seem to be the type to feel anything deeply. And after all the things Elena's been through in her life, she deserves someone who will love her deeply and tell her about it too. And with what Alaric's been telling me about you, you seem to be that person. I mean, you've even been writing _poetry_ about her. That's just…wow. If any guy I dated did that for me, I would marry them right away." I nodded a little as I took a sip of my drink. I was shocked. Then I turned back to Alaric. "What exactly have you been telling her about me?" He shrugged. "Just the truth. By the way, would you mind giving me some poetry lessons?" He said that last sentence in a teasing tone and I rolled my eyes. "Sorry but I don't give lessons on anything. You'll just have to buy a copy of 'Poetry for Dummies' or something." He laughed. "Maybe I will." Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see Elena. I immediately took another sip of my drink. "Damon. Would you mind if I talked to Jenna and Alaric alone for a minute?" She said. I nodded. "Sure. I was just leaving." I said as I took a last sip of my drink. "See you later, buddy." I said to Alaric with a wave before heading off to the dance floor.

"What do you want to talk to us about, Elena?" Jenna said in a curious tone. "Well, Stefan and I have been thinking and we want to have a karaoke party at the boarding house. But we're going to add a special song for Damon. But I've been thinking that maybe everyone should sing a song for Damon so…I wanted to tell you about it so you could pick your songs." Jenna looked surprised but nodded. "I'm sure I can think of something." Alaric nodded. "Me too. In fact, I think I've already got the perfect song. But maybe you should have a _poetry_ jam instead." Jenna hit Alaric teasingly. "Alaric. We promised we wouldn't tell." Alaric smiled. "You did. I didn't. And I've had to listen to it twice." Jenna looked surprised. "Really? When was the second time?" Alaric frowned a little. "Tonight. Apparently he just loves pouring his feelings out to me." Jenna ruffled Alaric's hair teasingly "Well that's because you're such a good listener." Alaric smiled as he shrugged. "Maybe." During this whole conversation, I was listening curiously. Damon liked poetry? Damon had been talking about feelings with Alaric…twice? None of that sounded like Damon. "What are you two talking about?" I finally said. Jenna and Alaric both looked uncomfortable. Jenna was the first to speak. "Look, Elena. It's not our secret to tell. But Damon promised he would tell you. If you really want to know, then ask him." I nodded. Then I realized, Damon had been telling me that he had told Alaric something that would make me feel awkward. And Alaric had mentioned feelings. And he had mentioned poetry. Poetry and feelings…..Suddenly a somewhat strange thought occurred to me. "Has Damon been writing poetry about…me?" Alaric sighed. "Why do you have to be so smart? Now Damon's going to kill me." Jenna glared at him teasingly. "Well that's what happens when you don't keep your mouth shut." Alaric nodded. "I guess so." I was…shocked. I couldn't believe that Damon would do something like that. "Have you read any of these poems?" Alaric shook his head. "No. He wanted me to read them but I said no thanks. I mean, I already had to listen to him talk about his feelings for hours. Seriously, he should just write a book about you or something. I would buy it just so I wouldn't have to listen to him go on and on about how beautiful and amazing you are. No offense, but it's a little awkward." I nodded a little, not sure what to say. "He certainly could write a book with the number of reasons he has." Jenna said with a laugh. "I know, that's what I was thinking. He has so many reasons and they're all so…detailed. Well, most of them are anyway." Jenna nodded. "Yeah, I know. Who would have thought,huh?" I looked around, scanning the room for Damon. "I…um…have to go." Jenna looked panicked. In fact, she couldn't have looked more panicked if she had known that Damon was a vampire. "Don't tell him we told you" Alaric nodded. "Yeah, don't tell him. I don't have my…." His voice trailed off. I knew he had been about to say 'ring'. "I mean, I don't want him to get mad at me." I smiled reassuringly at Alaric. "Don't worry. I'll tell him I figured it out myself." I hugged Jenna and then waved at Alaric. "See you guys later." Then I walked off in search of Damon.

**Author's Note: What do you guys think? Do you like the fact that Damon is writing poetry or do you think it's too out of character? What songs would you like to hear the other characters sing to Damon? (Although I already have ideas for some of the characters). REVIEW,REVIEW,REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter. *pouts* Please review, people. Pretty pretty please with a Damon on top. *smiles innocently.* Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

I finally found Damon leaning against the wall, staring at the dance floor. I went to stand next to him. "What are you doing here?" He snapped. "I just wanted to talk to you." I said with a shrug. "About what?" He said in an annoyed tone. "Come on, Damon. Stop pretending to be annoyed at me." He rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry, Elena. I'm just in a bad mood today. How can I help you?" I smile. "That's better. Well, I was wondering…do you like poetry?" He frowns. "Poetry? Um..yeah..I guess. Why?" I shrugged. "Well, there's a poetry jam next week and I think you should enter." He looked confused but nodded. "Ok. Um….I guess I can read one of my favorite poems." I smiled. "You have to read original poetry, Damon." He laughed. "And you think I'm the type of guy to _write_ poetry? Have you been drinking or something,Elena?" I laughed and rolled my eyes. "I know you're the type of guy to write poetry, Damon." He looked panicked. I guessed that he was finally figuring out that I knew. His expression quickly turned to annoyance as he said "I am going to _kill_ Alaric." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Does that mean you're not denying it?" He nodded and looked at me with a serious expression. "No, I'm not. What else did Alaric tell you?" I shook my head."He didn't tell me anything. I figured it out all by myself." He rolled his eyes. "You would never guess that _I_ would write poetry. Come on. Just tell me." I shook my head. "No. Or you might really kill Alaric and Jenna." He rolled his eyes again. "Do you really think I would kill my best friend or my _BFF_'s aunt?" I shrugged. "I don't know. You do crazy things when you're mad sometimes." He looked angry and then…almost sad. "I thought you knew me better than that, Elena." And he walked toward the door without another word. "Wait….Damon." I said as I ran after him.

"So…just how sappy did Damon get?" Jenna asked in that curious voice of hers. I smiled. "Come on, you're not going to make me relive it again, are you? It's bad enough that I needed to listen to it twice." She looked at me with puppy dog eyes as she said. "Please. Tell me. Or else I'll tell Elena and then Damon will be mad at you and you'll have no one to drink at the Grill with." I laughed and held my hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Ok, ok. I'll tell you. But I'm going to need another drink." I ordered another drink and took a sip of it before saying "Well…let's just say that when you listen to Damon talk, you'll think Elena is the best person in the world." Jenna smiled. "Aaaaw, that's so sweet. Do you think he'll tell her soon?" I nodded. "He'll tell her right after…um…finals." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Finals? Seriously? _That_'s what Damon was so worried about? He must really be crazy about her if he just doesn't want to stress her out during finals." I nodded and rolled my eyes. "Trust me, he is. I think he really would catch a grenade for her or whatever it is that that song says." Jenna smiled. "And Elena's with Stefan why?" I frowned. "I thought you liked Stefan." Jenna said "Well, I do but….." She sighed. "Stefan's a great guy. He really is. He's the type of guy you'd love to have in the family, you know?" But he's also the type of guy that always seems so…calm. He doesn't seem like the type to write poetry and go around…well…catching grenades. I just have the feeling that if Elena's life was in danger in some way that _Damon_ would be the one to save her and not Stefan." She frowned a little. "I know I was never Damon's biggest fan. And I'm still not. But after everything you've told me about him I'm beginning to think that he loves her more than Stefan does. I'm mad at myself for thinking that but…" She shrugged. "Well, maybe he does. I don't know. I've never really talked to Stefan much." Jenna smiled a little. "Well I guess I'll have to talk to _his_ best friend. Who is that by the way?" She said with a curious expression. I shrugged. "Well..um…she passed away about a year ago from what Damon's told me." Jenna frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But who is Stefan friends with now?" I shrugged. "I don't know….Elena's friends are his friends, I guess." Jenna nodded. "I'll talk to Caroline and Bonnie, then. I've known them their whole lives. I'm sure they'll tell me something." I smiled. "I'm sure they will."

"Where's Elena?" Bonnie said with a frown. I shrugged. "I don't know. She said she was going to talk to Alaric and Jenna about the karaoke thing." Bonnie smiled and looked relieved. "Oh. Ok." I frowned. "Bonnie, is something wrong? Is Elena ok?" Bonnie nodded. "She's fine. It's nothing." I raised my eyebrows. "Then why were you so worried before?" She shrugged. "It's just….this whole sacrifice thing. I mean, Klaus could be here and we wouldn't even know. I guess I'm just a little paranoid." I pat Bonnie's hand comfortingly as I smiled at her. "We're all worried." She smiled back. "I know."

"Hey Bonnie." A familiar voice said. Bonnie turned to look at the person who had spoken. "Hey Elena. Did you talk to Alaric and Jenna?" She rolled her eyes. "Wrong doppelganger, Bonnie" Bonnie glared at Katherine. "I know who you are, Katherine." She stood up and looked at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm going to go find Jeremy." I nodded. "Ok. See you later, Bonnie." She waved and disappeared into the crowd. I glared at Katherine. "What do you want?" She rolled her eyes. "Why so touchy, Stefan? Worried about your girl?" I nodded. "Of course I am. But she'll be ok. She's with Alaric and Jenna." She laughed. "The last time I saw her she was running after Damon." I frowned. "What do you mean?" She smirked. " I mean that she and Damon were talking and he got annoyed and ran outside and she followed him." I raised my eyebrows. "You expect me to believe you?" She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't believe me. But don't come crying to me when you lose your girlfriend to Damon." I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Why can't you be nice, Katherine?" She rolled her eyes. "Because being _nice_ doesn't keep you safe. Just ask Elena." I frowned. "Elena will be safe. She'll survive the sacrifice. I've figured out how to save her." Katherine looked at me with a skeptical expression as she raised her eyebrows. "Really? How?" I smiled. "I made a deal with Viktor." Katherine laughed. "Viktor? Seriously? Wow, you must be desperate." I frowned. "What do you mean?" She laughed again and looked at me with her eyebrows raised. "Do you really think that he's going to help you? He's not the only immortal witch for nothing. If he doesn't uphold the balance of nature then he loses his immortality and he does _not_ want to do that." I nodded. "Exactly. He wants Klaus dead as much as we do. And he's going to save Elena because I told him that he could meet with Damon…as long as I came along" Katherine smirked. "Oh. So that's why you're not worried about Damon stealing Elena away from you. You're going to have Viktor do your dirty work for you." Katherine clapped. "Bravo, Stefan." I shook my head. "He won't kill my brother while I watch. That's why I made him agree to let me come too." Katherine shook her head. "You have no _idea_ what he will do. He killed my mother while the rest of my family watched." I rolled my eyes. "You really expect me to believe that? Klaus is the one who killed your family." She nodded. "Yes, Klaus killed the _rest_ of my family and took the credit for all of them. But he had Viktor's help." I frowned. "Why would Viktor help _Klaus_?" She smirked. "Do you really want to hear the story?" I nodded. "Yes." Her smirk turned into a smile as she said "Well get ready. Because what I'm about to say will turn your world upside down."

**Author's Note 2 : Yay, a cliffhanger! XD I hope you guys like it. If you want me to post the next chapter then review! 'cause if not then I might just be evil and **_**forget**_** to post it. (;**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note : So I didn't get as many reviews as I wanted on the last chapter. In fact, I only got one. But I did get a lot of alerts & stuff so I decided to update it anyway. But if you really like this story, then please review even if it's just a really short message saying that you're liking the story. And of course any constructive criticism is appreciated. :3 So….anyway I hope you all like this next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure you all know, I don't own the vampire diaries. I just wish I did. :P**

I finally caught up to Damon at the edge of the forest. Even when he wasn't using vampire speed he was a lot faster than me. I grabbed his arm to stop him from going any further. "Damon." He looked at me with an expression that if I didn't know any better would make me think he hated me. "What, Elena?" He said in an annoyed tone. "I'm sorry I said that. But I wasn't serious. I was just joking. I know that you would never hurt Alaric or Jenna." His expression remained neutral as he said "Apology accepted. Is that all you wanted to say?" I frowned. I didn't like when Damon was like this. When he was pretending not to have any feelings. "I…..Yes, I guess so. But…don't you want to know what Alaric and Jenna said to me?" He shrugged. "I'll get it out of him later." I shook my head. "I think you should hear it from me." He nodded. "Fine. Let's sit." He gently moved his arm away from my hand which I hadn't even realized was still holding onto him and sat down in front of a tree. I sat down next to him. He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "So…what is it? What did Alaric say?" I smiled, glad to see that Damon at least seemed curious to know what his friend had said. "Well, he didn't directly say anything. I went over to tell him about…something…and he kept saying things about you and poetry. And then he said that you should just write a book about me so you could get your….feelings out. So I just put two and two together and…" I shrugged. "Since when do you write poetry about me, Damon?" He frowned. "How do you know I've been writing poetry about _you_? I could just be writing about nature or whatever else it is poets usually write about." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Are you?" He nodded. "Yes." But he didn't sound too convincing. "Alright. Then tell me a line from one of your poems." He shook his head. "You'll just have to wait for me to publish them like everyone else." He said with a smirk. "Then tell me the title of one of them." He nodded. "Ok. _Unimaginable Beauty._ There. And don't go saying that's about you or else I might think your head has grown bigger since I last saw you." I laughed. "Ok. I won't. But that doesn't mean it isn't." He shrugged. "I guess not. But why would _I_ write a poem like that about _you_?" I shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me." He smiled. "I will. _After_ the sacrifice" I raised my eyebrows. "Does that mean the poem _is_ about me?" He smirked. "It means that you will just have to wait until after the sacrifice to find out. Now let's get back inside before Stefan starts worrying about you." I nodded. "Um…ok." I frowned as I stood up.

"It all started in 1492 when I went to England. That was the worst thing that happened to me since it put me in the path of Klaus and I've been running from him ever since. But at the time I was glad to leave the country. I didn't want to leave my child or my family but I was glad to leave Viktor. Our families were always very close and he even asked my father if he could marry me. My father said yes. We were going to get married but then…I got pregnant. And it was _not_ his baby. He changed his mind about me after that. He said that he would make me pay one day. I didn't know what he meant. But now I think I do. Anyway, I went to England, met Klaus and Elijah, etc. etc. etc. Eventually, I went home to find my family dead. But what I've never told anyone is that I found a note next to my mother's body. It said 'You became pregnant because of someone who wasn't me. I killed the person who was once pregnant with you.-V' I had a witch look at the note and recreate the situation. I wanted to know if he really had killed my mother. It was true. He did. He killed her while the rest of my family watched." An unimaginably sad expression appeared on Katherine's face. "He wasn't immortal at that time. And he and Klaus had a common enemy-me. I don't think he ever forgave me for carrying the child of another man while we were engaged. And since I was a vampire, Klaus couldn't go through with the sacrifice. So there was no danger to the balance of nature. I met him later on, decades later, in New York. He told me that he had become immortal as a reward for doing…something or other. I forget now what it was. Anyway, he said that he would kill me and any future Petrova doppelgangers as soon as they appeared. He tried to kill Elena once and failed." I frowned. "What…what do you mean?" She looked at me with an almost sympathetic expression. "Elena's parents weren't supposed to die in that accident. _Elena_ was. But you had to go and save her. Ever since then he's been watching you and Damon as well as me. And since he's a witch..or warlock or whatever…it's very easy for him." I shook my head. "Elena's father wouldn't have died if the accident had been supernatural. He had his ring." She nodded. "Yes, he did. And of course Viktor knew all about those rings. Which is why he took great care to make sure that the accident really was an accident. He put all of the pieces together in a completely non-supernatural way." I frowned. I was getting more confused by the second. "So he did mean to kill Elena's parents?" I shook my head. "No. Just Elena. But you see he wasn't sure if she had something like the ring her father had. He didn't care if they died or not but the only person he wanted to die was Elena." I raised my eyebrows at Katherine. "How do you know all this?" She shrugged. "I happened to be around then. I got ready to leave town as soon as I knew Viktor was there but he managed to use some kind of magic thing to get me to go to the scene of the accident. Just like he had somehow drawn me to every single place that the other doppelgangers died." I shook my head. "Other doppelgangers? What do you mean?" She smirked. "Do you _really_ think Elena's been the first doppelganger since me? She hasn't. There have been others. But Viktor has always managed to get to them first and kill them. He told his fellow witches that he was doing it to make sure the sacrifice couldn't happen but I know better. He still had a grudge against me that was turning deadly. Of course, I wondered why he didn't just kill me but then I realized what he was doing. And when I asked him about it, he agreed with me. He told me that he was going to kill every doppelganger while I watched and then he was going to kill me. He failed the first time with Elena. But this time he doesn't need to do a thing. He'll let Klaus kill Elena and he'll make sure that Klaus doesn't use me as the vampire in the sacrifice. He'll make me watch while Klaus kills Elena and as soon as she's dead, he will drive a stake through my heart. Viktor will _not_ help you save Elena and you're kidding yourself if you think he will. He has a grudge against the Petrova bloodline and he _will_ make sure it dies out for good this time. And if that means he has to kill you _and_ Damon, then he will." She said as she raised her eyebrows at me. "Do _not_ underestimate him."

**Author's Note 2: Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter-especially the whole Viktor thing. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with him but now I've figured it out. I wonder what Stefan will do now. :P Hmmm….Review, Review,REVIEW! (;**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Please, please, please, REVIEW 3**

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure you all know, I don't own the vampire diaries. I just wish I did. :P**

**~ Elena's POV~**

Damon and I finally reached the entrance to the house. Before we walked in, he grabbed my arm to stop me. "Wait." I frowned. "What is it, Damon?" He looked at me with a serious expression. "Don't tell anyone about that poetry thing. Especially Stefan." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Why not? Stefan loves _nature_ and other poetic things just as much as anyone." Damon shrugged. "I just don't want anyone to know that _I_'m writing _poetry_. Besides, who would believe it?" I smiled. "Ok. I won't tell anyone if you will let me read the poem you mentioned after the sacrifice." He nodded. "Sure." I smiled again and we walked back into the Lockwood mansion.

**~ Stefan's POV~**

"So you think Viktor will let Klaus kill Elena?" I asked. Katherine rolled her eyes. "No, I don't _think_ Viktor will let Klaus kill Elena. I _know_ he will." I frowned. "But…why?" She shrugged. "I told you. He has a grudge against the Petrova doppelgangers." I shook my head. "You said he has a grudge against the Petrova _bloodline_. But if that was true then he would have just killed Isobel and everyone else related to you, wouldn't he?" A small smile appeared on Katherine's face. "Good. You were paying attention. And I thought that too. In fact, I also asked him about that. He told me that he had originally planned on killing every Petrova but he decided to just settle for the doppelgangers." There was something about this whole thing that just didn't make sense to me. "How do you know all this? If you're so scared of him, why would you talk to him?" She rolled her eyes. "I'm not scared of him, Stefan. I could kill him easily if he was caught off guard. But unfortunately for me he never is. And he won't kill me. Not until all the doppelgangers are dead. Which means….." She raised her eyebrows. "He won't kill you until after Klaus kills Elena." She nodded. "Exactly." An idea suddenly occurred to me. "So that's why you helped us before. That's why you want Klaus dead." She shook her head. "No, I just want Klaus dead so he can't try to kill _me_." I glared at Katherine. "So you do want Elena dead?" She shook her head again. "Wrong again, Stefan. I don't want Elena dead. Not now that I know Viktor's here. I want her not to go through the sacrifice so that _I_ don't have to die. Of course, I could always run before the sacrifice but Viktor would find some way to bring me back. He always does." I put my head in my hands and then looked up at Katherine. "What am I going to do? I'm supposed to meet with Viktor tomorrow and bring Damon." She shrugged. "Kill him." I shook my head. "No, I can't do that." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Stefan. He would gladly kill _Elena_ himself if Klaus wasn't already planning on it." Then I realized something. "How do I know you're telling the truth about all this?" She sighed. "Why would I lie?" I shrugged. "I don't know. Because you're a liar. Maybe because Viktor is going to kill you after the sacrifice but he's going to save Elena." She shook her head. "I watched, Stefan. I watched while he killed _every single doppelganger_. Do you think I would make that up? Because I _wouldn't_." I shrugged. "Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't." She shrugged. "Fine. Don't believe me. But if Elena dies, it will be _all your fault._" With that, she stood up and walked away.

**~Elena POV~**

Damon had left to find Alaric and I was making my way through the crowd to find Stefan. I was still feeling awkward because of the whole Damon writing poetry thing. I couldn't believe that was true. Damon, of all people. He just didn't seem like the type. Then again, Damon was always full of surprises. I wondered when he had started and why he had started. What could have possibly happened to turn Damon into the type of guy who writes poetry? I just had to find out. I was still thinking about this when I spotted Stefan sitting alone at a table. Pushing away thoughts of Damon, I walked toward him quickly. Once I reached the table, I sat down and smiled at Stefan. "Hey Stefan." He smiled at me but it didn't reach his eyes. "Hello Elena." I frowned. "What's wrong?" He shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just….Katherine's here. She came over to talk to me and…well…you know how she is." I pat his arm comfortingly. "What did she say?" He shrugged. "Nothing much. She just annoyed me." I smiled kindly at him. "Don't let her get to you." He nodded and smiled back. "I'll try. So…where were you?" I frowned. "I was talking to Alaric and Jenna about the karaoke thing. Why?" He shrugged. "Katherine said that she saw you leave the building with Damon." I looked away for a moment, not sure if I could keep my expression normal. "Did you, Elena ?" I looked back at him. "Did I what?" He sighed. "Did you leave with Damon?" I nodded. "Yes, I did. I needed to talk to him. I said something that got him mad and I needed to talk to him. We need him to be stable right now. We can't have him losing control before the sacrifice." Stefan nodded. "No, we can't. But tonight is the night off from supernatural drama, remember?" I laughed. "Yes, it is. So let's talk about something normal now, shall we?"

**~ Alaric POV~**

"Where's Jenna?"said a voice. I turned around to see Damon standing right behind me. "She was dragged away by Carol Lockwood to help with something party related. Why?" Damon shrugged. "Just wondering." He sat down next to me and ordered a drink. After taking a few sips he looked back at me and said "Why did you tell Elena about the poetry? I _told_ you not to tell anyone." I raised my hands in surrender. "I didn't tell her. She figured it out herself." He rolled his eyes. "She told me that you mentioned me, poetry, and feelings. How could she not figure it out based on that?" I shrugged. "She deserves to know." He glared at me. "Not right now, she doesn't. She needs to stay focused on surviving the sacrifice. After that, she can read my poetry herself for all I care." I raised my eyebrows. "You would let her read it?" He nodded. "After the sacrifice, yes." I nodded. "Ok. I'll tell her I was just joking." He shook his head. "She already knows I'm writing poetry. I admitted to it myself. We just need to keep her from finding out that all of it's about her." I nodded. "Ok. That's easy enough. She'll probably be too busy planning that karaoke thing anyway." Damon frowned. "What karaoke thing?" I shook my head. "Um…nothing." Damon looked at me with wide eyes. "What karaoke thing?" I rolled my eyes. "Really, Damon? I'm on vervain. It's not going to work, buddy." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to compel you. Just tell me what you mean." I sighed. "Ok. But after that I'm taking a vow of silence. Elena and Stefan are planning a karaoke party at your house and they're going to have everyone sing songs for you at the end." He looked…confused. "For me? Why?" I shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what Elena said." He looked happier than I had ever seen him. "So…it was Elena's idea?" I shrugged again. "I don't know but either way she's part of planning it." He smiled widely. "Well,that's great." I sighed as I pat Damon's back. "You've got it bad." He rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note : Please review 3**

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure you all know, I don't own the vampire diaries. I just wish I did. :P**

After Damon and I had been talking for a while, Jenna came back. "Hey Rick. Hey Damon." I smiled at her. "Hey Jenna." Damon waved. "Hello. How's Mrs. Lockwood?" Jenna rolled her eyes a little. "As crazy as ever. How's Elena?" She raised her eyebrows a little. Damon shrugged. "She's fine. I'm sure she's with Stefan by now." When he said "Stefan" a small frown appeared on his face. Jenna looked at him sympathetically. "I can't wait until _finals_ are over so I can tell Elena all about you." Damon shook his head. "No. That's not what we agreed. _I'm_ going to tell Elena." Jenna nodded but she didn't look convinced. "Right." Damon raised his eyebrows. "What? Do you think I _won't_ tell Elena?" Jenna shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you won't." Damon rolled his eyes. "And why not?" Jenna just shrugged. Damon rolled his eyes. "Well I will tell Elena. Right after _finals_." Jenna smiled. "Good." I looked at Jenna with a pleading expression. "Can we _please_ stop talking about Damon's feelings? I've heard enough of them tonight." Damon rolled his eyes as Jenna nodded. "Sure. Let's talk about how Carol Lockwood is going to get something thrown at her if she asks me one more thing about the party." I laughed. "Now that's more like it."

Stefan and I had been talking for a while when Caroline came up to us. She smiled at Stefan and then looked at me. "Hey Elena. Can I borrow you for a minute? I need to ask you something." I nodded. "Sure. See you later, Stefan." I said as I smiled at him. He smiled back as he waved at me and Caroline. "Later, Elena." I stood up and Caroline linked her arm through mine. She began to walk in the direction of the dance floor but then began to direct me away from it. Before I knew it, we were in the bathroom and Caroline was unlinking herself from me so she could close the door. She looked around and smiled when she saw that no one was inside the stalls. "Good. There's no one here." I nodded. "Yep. So…what do you want to tell me?" Caroline looked….nervous. I frowned. "What is it? Is something wrong?" She still looked nervous and was saying nothing. Something must be wrong. Caroline was never speechless. "Seriously, Caroline you're scaring me. What's wrong?" She smiled kindly at me. "Sorry, Elena. I'm just worried you'll get mad at me." Now I was confused. "Why would I get mad?" She took a deep breath before speaking. "Because Bonnie told me about how you're….confused right now." I raised my eyebrows. "Wh-what?" She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Ok. Don't be mad at her. I basically forced her to tell me." I nodded. "Ok." She walked closer to me and put her arm around me in a kind of half hug. "I just wanted to say that if you need to talk about anything, I'm here. I mean I know that I'm not that good at being serious but I can still be a good listener if I want to. And I know how it feels. I was confused about Matt and Tyler for a while so I think I know how to deal with these things." I smiled at my friend. "Thanks, Care. I think I could use someone to talk to who's gone through something like this before. But you need to promise not to tell anyone about this. Even Tyler. I wouldn't want Stefan finding out before I tell him." She nodded. "Ok. I won't tell anyone. Promise." I pat her arm a little. "Thanks." She shrugged. "No problem. What are friends for?" Then she looked at me with an almost mischievous expression. "Now what do you say we go out onto the dance floor and make Stefan, Damon, Matt, and Tyler jealous of our awesome dance moves?" I laughed. "That sounds good to me." She linked her arm through mine again as we pushed the door to the bathroom open and headed towards the dance floor.

I was standing on the edge of the dance floor with Jeremy. He was looking at me with a disbelieving expression. "My sister said what? About Damon?" I nodded. "I know. It's hard to believe. But it's true. I probably shouldn't have told you but I need to tell someone." He frowned. "Am I the only one who knows about this?" I shook my head. "I told Caroline but I don't think she's going to agree with me." He looked at me curiously. "Why not?" I shrugged. "I don't know. It's just when I told her she looked the way she always looks when she's watching a romantic movie. She probably thinks Elena being caught in a love triangle is romantic." He shrugged. "Well it kinda is." I shook my head. "Not when one of the sides of that triangle is Damon." He smiled kindly at me. "I know you don't like him, Bonnie but…maybe he's not so bad." I raised my eyebrows. "He killed you, Jeremy. How can you say that?" He shrugged. "I don't know. He's changed since then. And he's doing everything possible to protect Elena from the sacrifice. He can't be pure evil." He looked at me with a teasing expression as he said that last sentence. "But he is, Jeremy. I don't know why he's protecting Elena but I'm sure it's not for selfless reasons." Jeremy looked at me with an annoyed expression. "How can you say that, Bonnie? How could protecting someone ever not be selfless?" I shrugged. "When Damon's the one doing the protecting." He looked away from me and I frowned. "What? What's wrong?" Then he looked at me with a sad expression. "You're wrong, Bonnie. I always thought that you were such a good person, you know. That you didn't judge people for their past mistakes. But apparently that's only true when the person isn't Damon. I'm not saying he's the best guy ever or that he should be with my sister. But he's changing. You can't deny that. And I think that he's changing for her. I may not be much of a romantic all the time but even I can't help but think that's sweet. But you refuse to because it's Damon. How is that right? How is that not prejudiced? I thought you were above things like that." I frowned. "I'm sorry, Jer. It's just…I can't help but remember all the things that Damon's done in the past. And no doubt he'll continue to do them in the future. I'm just looking out for Elena. That's all." He shook his head. "If you were really looking out for her then you would think of her feelings and nothing else. Elena's a big girl and she's smart enough to know that Damon's not exactly safe. But if she cares about him anyway then she must see something good in him that you're missing." I was about to object but then I thought about it. Jeremy was right. I had known Elena since we were kids. She had always seen the best in everyone but she wasn't completely naïve. She knew when people were truly bad. So there must be some good in Damon for Elena to see. "You're right, Jer. I'm just being prejudiced. There must be some good in Damon. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough." He smiled widely. "Now that's more like the Bonnie I know." I smiled back. "Maybe I should….go talk to him." He laughed. "What? I can't talk to Damon?" He laughed again. "Not if you don't want to end up destroying the Lockwood mansion once you and Damon start fighting." I rolled my eyes a little. "I won't do anything to him. I promise. You can even come with me if you want." He nodded. "Ok. Let's go." And we began to walk toward the bar in search of Damon.


End file.
